Is identifying an algorithm from equations on-topic?

I have neither the full vocabulary to explain in exact mathematical terminology nor the MathJax expertise to illustrate, so would such a question on reverse engineering (reverse mathematicing?) as this be on topic?

I have an algorithm that calculates four values for two sets of points using $$N[0, 0] = \Sigma ((x_{1_i} - \bar{x_1})(x_{2_i} - \bar{x_2}))$$ then does ... etc

I'd avoid just doing a code dump; I'd make an effort to make it look math-y; I'm pretty sure it would be off-topic for the main StackOverflow, but how appropriate would it be here?

• Sorry, I can't tell from the hints you've given whether such an actual question would be on-topic or not. – Gerry Myerson Feb 6 at 9:40
• If it is on topic, it seems like it would fall under the terminology tag. – Alexander Gruber Feb 6 at 17:51
• Are you saying you have some code, and you want help understanding what it does? Probably the approach that has the best chance of success is to "start small", asking about the part of the program you understand best (perhaps the inputs and the outputs), and then proceed to clarify the intermediate stages. You need to ask questions that you understand well enough to appreciate when correct answers are given, and Readers will not be able help much unless you provide the setup. – hardmath Feb 7 at 3:24